So Glad You're Safe
by HopelessRomantic1020
Summary: After not seeing Brendan for quite some time, May encounters him in Lavaridge Town and greets him much like any other worried friend would. No longer a oneshot! Suggestions/commentary/constructive criticism is welcome. :)
1. Chapter 1

It was another pleasant day in the Hoenn region as a boy with a peculiar white hat walked out of the Lavaridge Gym, having defeated Flannery with ease thanks to the combined efforts of his Marshtomp and Swellow.

_Four down, four to go, _Brendan thought to himself as he began to walk towards the Pokemon Center. Before he could make it there, however, his train of thought was interrupted by a certain young brunette walking out of the herbal shop near the gym. A smile crept onto the boy's face as the brunette walked towards him, an incredulous look plastered onto her own face.

"Brendan! You're alright!" May exclaimed, catching Brendan in a tight hug, so tight in fact that he found it rather hard to breathe.

"May… Kinda crushing me, here.."

"O-Oh! S-Sorry, Brendan.."

With that, the young brunette somewhat reluctantly let go of her friend and began to explain her antics.

"I'm sorry Brendan, it's just… The last time we saw each other was at Meteor Falls with Professor Cosmo and the whole Team Whatsit fiasco… And then I heard about the clash as Mt. Chimney and I was so worried for your safety.."

She paused, looking Brendan in the eye for a second before looking away, her face now fifty shades of red.

"But looking at you now.. I see that you're more than capable of taking care of yourself. You really are something else, Brendan… I-I mean, you and your team."

May looked at her friend again, this time closely studying his facial expression. He had been silent for quite some time, but a smile of understanding soon made its way onto his face. Seeing this made May feel much better, though it did nothing to remove the redness from her face.

"Thank you, May. That really means a lot, especially coming from you." Brendan said, his face now taking on a similar color to May's.

_Is he… blushing?_

"O-Oh! I almost forgot." May uttered, breaking the silence caused by her own disbelief. She handed Brendan the Go-Goggles, which would make desert exploration a possibility for him now.

"Oh, sweet! Thanks a ton, May. You're the sweetest." And with that, the boy leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

At this point, May's knees nearly turned to jelly and so she decided to take her leave before she made herself look like a total idiot in front of this boy she was head over heels for.

"Weeeeeell, it's been fun chatting but I should really be heading on over to your dad's gym in Petalburg City. Be seeing you, Brendan!" May exclaimed, hopping on her bike and leaving in a hurry.

"Yeah, later… May." Brendan watched her ride away on her bike with a smile on his face, satisfied with today's events. Suddenly, Marshtomp came out of its Poke Ball and began to tease its owner.

"Tomp, marsh marsh!"

"I do not!"

"Marsh.." Marshtomp muttered in a skeptical tone of voice, raising an eyebrow (?) at Brendan, whose face had still not lost its redness.

"Alright, maybe a little…" Brendan said, recalling his starter Pokemon back into its ball and making his way to the Pokemon Center, a smile still etched into his face.


	2. Author's Note

Hello readers! I just thought I'd post this to say thanks for reading the first chapter of this little shipping fanfic. I wasn't too sure that anyone would actually enjoy it, but I figured I would take a chance and roll the dice for once. I would also like to say that this fanfiction is no longer a oneshot as I will be adding on to the story with more snippets and scenarios from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, perhaps even going on to cover the events of Episode Delta! I would love to hear some suggestions from you readers so as to better my writing and make it more enjoyable for everyone. I have been rather busy lately and cannot promise exactly when I will write the next chapter, but I can assure you all that I will do my very best to get more chapters up as soon as I possibly can, hopefully much longer than the previous one. Thank you to all who have read and stay tuned for more!

Best wishes,

HopelessRomantic1020


	3. Chapter 2

May sighed as she recalled her fainted Grovyle back into its Poke Ball. She had been bicycling through Route 119 in the pouring rain when she thought she spotted someone familiar just on the other side of the bridge near the Weather Institute. Sure enough, that someone was no other than her neighbor and friend Brendan, appearing positive as ever despite looking as though he had just dealt with a certain very troublesome organization. Naturally, May figured that she should challenge Brendan to a battle to see how strong he had gotten, with predictable results.

Brendan walked over to May with a friendly grin on his face before extending his hand towards her.

"Good game, May. You've definitely improved since our last battle," The boy in the white hat stated as his hand made contact with his rival's.

"Y-Yeah... You too…"

May mentally slapped herself. Ever since the first time they met back in Littleroot Town, she had developed a little stuttering habit whenever she was around Brendan. Even though he had never commented on it, May still felt rather silly whenever it happened. Still, how could she _not _stutter whenever he was near her?

"Oh! I almost forgot..." May reached into her bag and pulled out a disc, giving it to the boy before her.

"Teach this to a flying-type Pokémon and you'll be able to fly anywhere you've been before once you get the Fortree Gym Badge! You should visit Littleroot Town and say hello to your mom sometimes! I'm sure she misses you very much…"

She trailed off, trying to remember the last time she herself had gone back home, only to be brought back to reality by Brendan waving a hand in front of her face.

"A-Ah! Sorry, hee hee…" May apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of her head while a light shade of pink graced her cheeks.

"Well, I suppose I should get going…"

"Same here. It's getting late and I should really be checking into a Pokémon Center right about now…"

"Well… I'll see you later, Brendan!" May replied in her usual chipper voice before speeding off on her bike yet again. To the boy in the peculiar white hat, it seemed that May was always riding her bike as opposed to traveling on foot. Perhaps that was why her legs appeared to have become more toned since their last encounter?

Shaking the thought from his mind, Brendan called out, "Be careful out there, May!" Though the young brunette smiled upon hearing those words, she could not help but feel as though their next encounter would end in her defeat once more. Can she even consider herself Brendan's rival if she always loses to him?

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The sun was setting in Lilycove City as an exhausted Brendan made his way through the streets. Having dealt with the numerous Trainers scattered across Routes 120 and 121, as well as a certain nefarious organization at Mt. Pyre, he was in no mood to do anything other than relax. Originally, Brendan had been slightly less than thrilled to visit the city upon hearing that there was no Gym, but soon he decided that Lilycove had quite a few points of interest. The Lilycove Contest Hall, The Lilycove Department Store, the Pokémon Trainer Fan Club, an anxious May pacing just outside the Lilycove Department Store… Wait, what?

Indeed, May appeared to be rather nervous about something and it was written all over her face. Upon seeing Brendan walking towards her, however, she found herself smiling. Even so, Brendan could see it in her eyes that everything was not fine and dandy, though he did not comment on it when they were finally face to face. Instead, he took a more casual approach.

"Hey, May! Been awhile, huh?"

"Yeah… It certainly has been," May replied in her usual chipper tone of voice, before suddenly slipping into one of uncertainty.

"Um… Brendan? C-Can I ask you something?"

"Of course! Is this about another battle? I'm totally down for that, but I'd need to run back to the Center and heal first… Swampert gets grumpy when he's thrust into a battle half-conscious…"

"No, no. It isn't about that…" She replied, her eyes now resting at her feet and she fidgeted with her hands.

Now Brendan was worried. What could possibly be making May so nervous? She looked more worked up than a Lillipup. And for that matter, what could she be about to ask him if it wasn't about a battle? She usually didn't have much to say unless it was related to their journey… Could it be about something more?

'_Could it be about… us?' _Brendan mused internally, but before he could say anything, May finally spoke up.

"Brendan… Do you think I should give up being a Pokémon Trainer?"

To say he was stunned would be an understatement. Brendan was completely taken aback by the words that had just left his friend's mouth. Part of it was because he had been expecting a different question altogether, but he was mostly shocked because of the sheer insanity of it all. May anxiously waited for his answer, refusing to look him in the eye as she felt too embarrassed now. The blood rushed to her face as all sorts of negative thoughts began to invade her head.

'_Of course he'll say you should! You're so incompetent!' _

'_Failure… Not once have you won a battle against him… Failure…'_

'_Just give up… You are not worthy to be his rival…' _

"No."

May blinked in confusion. Had she heard Brendan correctly?

"What…?"

"No, May. You shouldn't give up training Pokémon. Why would you ever even consider that? Don't you love being a Trainer?" Brendan questioned, genuinely curious as to why May felt the way she did.

"Well, yes! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I'm just not good enough, okay?"

"What? How can you even say that?"

"I look at you and see how great you are as a Trainer, and then I look at myself and… Arceus, how I can consider myself your rival? I'm just that annoying girl next door…"

The tears fell freely from May's eyes now, and Brendan himself felt saddened to hear that May really did consider herself to be far less than he. Didn't she know how wonderful she was in her own right?

Without a single word, Brendan took May into his arms. As she began to pull away in confusion, he looked her straight in the eye and spoke softly but sternly.

"May, you are _not _a failure. Just because battling isn't your forte doesn't make you any less of a person, and I'm sure your Pokémon all agree. Besides, you're everything that a Pokémon would want in a Trainer! You're sweet, compassionate, and I don't know anyone else in the world who's more knowledgeable about Pokémon! Well, aside from your father."

"Brendan…"

May couldn't believe it. Could he really mean what he was saying about her?

Brendan bit his lip and continued.

"May… Please don't give up being a Trainer. Your Pokémon need you, _I _need you…" He blushed as he said that last part, knowing that it was a bit mushy. Fortunately, the girl in his arms didn't seem to think so, as she hugged him back with strength that would put a Machoke to shame.

"Thank you… Brendan," May sniffled, burying her face in his shoulder.

"May-"

"Don't worry, Brendan," She said as she pushed her finger to his lips and flashed her trademark smile.

"I'm not going anywhere."

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**Hello my readers! :D Let me just start off by saying thanks again for reading and everyone is welcome to give me your input and make suggestions for potential future chapters. I must say that I originally intended for this to be two separate chapters, but I found that the first segment seemed a little short to be its own chapter and I wanted to avoid making such a small update. Thus, I decided to combine these both into one chapter, for better or for worse. ^^; I've also been struggling with a tiny case of writer's block lately, so I apologize if this chapter disappoints. :/ I also apologize if either protagonist seems out of character here, and if so I shall do my best to avoid this in the future. Thank you all and have a pleasant weekend! **

**Best wishes,**

**HopelessRomantic1020**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! Just thought I'd post this little note to say that I'll be out of town for a few weeks and won't have access to a computer during that time. Since I didn't want to just leave you hanging in the wind, I thought I'd write and post this next chapter before I leave on vacation. I would also like to thank everyone who's read so far and any suggestions are welcome! :) **

**Now, without further ado… Let's get on with the story! **

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To say that Sootopolis was experiencing a little rain would be an understatement. Indeed, the rainfall was so heavy that most people locked themselves in their houses and prayed to Arceus that it would stop before it flooded the entire city. The only people who dared to expose themselves to such wicked weather were the current Pokémon Champion Steven, local Gym Leader Wallace, the highest-ranking members of both Team Aqua and Team Magma, and our young hero Brendan. Currently, the group was discussing the current crisis while standing outside the Cave of Origin.

"I don't understand… People and Pokémon need water to live, so why is this rain filling us with so much dread?" Steven pondered aloud to himself.

"Well, maybe if _some _people didn't mess around with the natural order of things, this wouldn't be happening!" Magma Admin Tabitha snapped, directing his comment at Archie, Matt, and Shelly of Team Aqua. Naturally, Matt was the first to speak up, followed by Shelly.

"You wanna go, tubby? Bring it!"

"Settle down, Matt. Fighting can't and won't solve anything at this point. There's only one thing that can…"

Before anyone could respond, Shelly handed Brendan a small device with a button on it. Once he pressed it, the device shook for a bit before slipping out of Brendan's hand and onto the ground where it transformed into what appeared to be a protective suit.

"Created by the combined forces of Devon Corporation and Team Aqua, this suit will allow you to travel to the deepest part of the Cave of Origin and put an end to this."

"But… Why me?" Brendan questioned, looking to everyone for an answer.

"Because you seem to be the least incompetent person here…" Team Magma's Courtney replied in her usual monotone voice, getting some offended looks from everyone else in the process. Even Steven had to concur, however, that she was right.

"The energy coming from the shrine appears to be far more powerful than anything we could have anticipated… Are you sure the boy can make it down there in one piece?" Archie asked his teammates, receiving an uncertain shrug from Matt while Shelly just looked down and fiddled with her hands as if to say she wasn't sure.

"Do not worry, child," Maxie cut in, "We at Team Magma have been developing a similar suit in case of an emergency and according to the tests we've ran, there's only about a thirty percent chance that you'll perish when facing the Legendary Pokémon."

"Well that's reassuring," Brendan muttered, pressing a button on the suit that made it shrink down and revert to its original shape before placing it in his bag.

Suddenly, Wallace spoke up.

"The Red Orb."

"What?"

"The Red Orb in your bag… Its ancient powers will surely protect both you and your Pokémon. It is also capable of quelling the power of the Blue Orb," Wallace finished, glancing at Archie briefly before turning to the Cave of Origin.

"Indeed… The Red Orb will help, but it alone cannot take Brendan to the core. That suit you were given… Use it."

Brendan nodded before turning to Steven, the silver-haired man only having a few words to say.

"Whatever happens, you and your Pokémon will be fine. Believe in yourself as the rest of us do."

"Brendan… Please. Save us. Save the world… and Kyorge," Archie pleaded, his voice nearly breaking as Shelly placed an arm on his shoulder and Matt looked on in uncharacteristic silence.

"Alright," Brendan said while adjusting his hat, "I'll do it."

"Excellent. In the meantime, Courtney! Tabitha! We must mobilize our members and do what we can to help those suffering from this disaster." Maxie stated, his admins nodding in response.

Suddenly, Brendan heard a familiar voice shout his name. Turning around, he could see that it was his neighbor and rival May, looking rather distressed.

"I came as soon as I heard about this and saw you on BuzzNav, Brendan. I knew I couldn't just sit by and watch as you got caught up in all the chaos, so I came here right away!" She exclaimed, catching the white-hatted hero in a strong embrace that could put an Arbok to shame.

'_Seriously, how is she this strong?'_ Brendan thought to himself, utterly confused as to how someone of May's stature could possess so much strength.

Breaking away from the hug, May gasped when she saw Team Aqua and Team Magma standing a few feet away, looking rather confused.

"W-what are they doing here?"

"… And this is?" Maxie inquired, fixing his glasses.

"Isn't it obvious? That's clearly his girlfriend," Shelly replied, smirking once she noticed the expressions on the young trainers' faces.

"I… She's… We're not… What?"

"He… A-And I? What?"

"Oh brother," Steven muttered, burying his face in his hand. At this rate, nothing would get done.

"Anyways…" May started, clearing her throat, "I'm not even going to bother asking what they're doing here. Instead, I'm going to do what I can to help."

"A-And I'm going to keep hoping and believing that you'll be okay out there, Brendan…"

"May…"

"Because…"

May paused, considering what would happen if she used the wrong words here. If she told him how she felt about him, she could potentially lose him as a friend if he didn't feel the same way. With everyone watching them, she also didn't want to put him on the spot. However, if she used the word "friend", Brendan could get the idea that she's not into him. Plus, she didn't know if she would be able to rack up the courage to tell him later on.

'_Don't put him in such a tight spot. He's already got a lot on his shoulders at the moment.' _

May decided to go with a less risky approach.

"Because I really care about you."

Shelly and Wallace made an 'aww' sound as Steven and the others save Maxie looked at Brendan with knowing grins on their faces. Brendan blushed and scratched the back of his head before replying with a bashful smile.

"Thanks, May. That really means a lot to me and… I care about you too."

This received a smile from May, and she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Good luck, Brendan," before kissing him on the cheek, much to his surprise.

"Aww yeah! Little dude does have a girlfriend!"

"Matt, quiet! You're ruining the moment," Shelly snapped.

The neighbors both let out an awkward laugh and then turned to face the Cave of Origin, its doors now opening for the first time in Sootopolis history.

His face gaining a serious expression, Brendan began walking towards the cave with his trusty Swampert's Pokémon Ball in hand. Once he reached the entrance, he took a long look back at those who now depended on him. He gazed at May the longest, smiling once her eyes met his. Turning back to the cave, Brendan took a deep breath.

'_Let's do this.' _

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… **So that's that! ^^; Originally, I had May say something incredibly different and I debated whether or not to do it, but I ultimately felt that it would be a bit soon. They're still quite young, after all. Also, I'm sorry if this chapter isn't quite as good as the others. This week has been rather hectic for me, what with finals running amok and I'm not even done packing yet… Aha. I know that only Shelly is present with the team leaders in Sootopolis City in Alpha Sapphire, but I wanted to do a little bit of experimenting with my writing style by having the story deviate a little bit from the game. Also, I chose the flood scenario over the drought because it just seemed more world-threatening to me for some reason. While I'm here, I'd also like to say that due to vacation I won't be back until around the 5****th**** of January or so meaning that this is the last chapter I'll be posting until then. I hope you all liked this chapter and have a wonderful holiday! **


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